Drying apparatus.



115.855.853. I PATENTED JUNE 4, 1907. E. 0. HORST.

DRYING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION Hum SBPT.14.1905.

r"; NORRIS PITIRS cm. wlsumorau, n. c.

EMIL C. HORST, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

DRYING APPARATUS- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 4, 1907.

Application filed September 14,1905. Serial No. 278,381.

I To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EMIL O. HoRsT, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Drying Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an apparatus which is designed for drying urposes, and especially for drying hops and like products.

It consists of one or more drying chambers arranged in succession, said chambers being preferably disposed with a plurality of superposed floors, means for introducing the product to be dried and transferring said product through the various chambers and over the various superposed floors.

It also comprises means for directing the current of heated air and distributing it in up or down drafts according to requirements.

It also comprises details of construction which will be more fullyexplained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of my drying apparatus. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view of same but omitting the floors of two of the compartments. Fig. 3 is a section of a car. Fig. 4 is a broken away plan view of same.

My drying apparatus may comprise one or more drying chambers or compartments as at A, having a series of superposed traveling floors 2 and 3. The superposed floors, as shown, are mounted on cars which are designed to travel upon tracks extending from end to end through the series of compartments.

In conjunction with the drying compartments and the tracks therein, and also with the receiving and baling portions of the plant I employ a series of tracks as at 4. These tracks are so disposed that wagons bringing the hops from the field may discharge their load directly into the cars which have preferably a screen or mesh bottom, such as wire cloth or the like, to form the movable or traveling floors before mentioned. These tracks connect with the tracks which pass through the drying compartments so that the cars being loaded may be moved directly into the compartments, where they are eX- posed to the heat and move successively from one compartment to the other until the drying is sufficiently completed when the cars are transferred to other portions of the connecting tracks and moved to the packing house with the least possible handling.

The drying apparatus consists of an air blast 5 of any suitable description. 1t may be in the form of a blowing apparatus, a revoluble propeller wheel or other well known form for moving the air which is heated in a furnace, not here shown, and conducted from the propelling apparatus through pipes as at 66. These pipes divide as shown at 6 and one main extends through the lower portion of the drying compartments, and the other is carried into the upper portion of these compartments.

The mains are so constructed that the first portions are large enough to convey all "the air which will be delivered by the fans, and

.by means of some appropriate and well known form of gate or damper, shown at the junction 6 of the mains, the whole or any portion of the air may be diverted through either of the mains.

The main 6 is provided with the discharge pipes 7 and the main 6 is provided with discharge pipe 7 the discharge pipes of the two mains being curved in opposite directions.

From the discharge pipes of the first of the series of compartments the mains may be decreased because they carry a smaller body of air, and by this decrease the current may be ke t up to its normal speed.

11 the second of the series of compartments other branches 77 again turn downwardly and upwardly, and the mains may be again decreased with further discharge passages to the end of the series of compartments.

The discharge from each of the passages 7-7=- may be controlled by dampers as shown at 9 so that any desired quantity of hot air may be delivered into the various com artments.

T e bottom of each compartment is made curved or cup-shaped, as shown at 10, and the discharge from the passages 7 is delivered into the center of these cup-shaped or convergent bottoms, and striking into these basins the air is distributed outwardly, and returns with a reactionary force upwardly through the floors of the cars, so that the heated air is thoroughly distributed and carried upward through the floors of the cars, and all portions of the contents are thus eX- posed to a substantially equal heat.

The upper portions of the compartments have suitable ventilating or discharge pas sages as shownl'at 11, so that the heated air ITO may, after performing its ofIice, be discharged directly through these ventilators.

The ventilators may be .in the form of blinds or otherwise suitably constructed so as to be closed, or opened at will. At the base of these ventilating passages are doors or dampers 12 which are so constructed with relation to the upper portions of the compartments that they form convex roofs when closed, and into these convexities, the air from the upper discharge passages 7 a is delivered. The action in this case is similar to that in the lower compartments. The air striking these convex or cup-shaped roofs or ceilings is diverted outwardly in every direction and returned downwardly upon the top-1- of the product contained upon the floor of the cars. Thus by the use of either of the series of heat-conducting passages the heat may be discharged upwardly through the bottom of the cars, or downwardly from above.

Describing the operation: when the cars are first introduced upon the lower track of the first compartment the heat is discharged through the lower discharge passage 7 of that compartment, and by'the distributing and reactionary force it rises through the body of hops upon the perforated floor of the car from below. After remaining in this compartment until the drying is well commenced, the car is then moved into the second com.- partment, and a fresh car is brought into the first compartment; the drying proceeding again for a certain stage, the cars will be again advanced, the first car being now in the lower part of the third compartment, and a fresh car being introduced into the first compartment; \Vhen the drying has proceeded as far as is desirable in these three compartments, the car in the third compartment is run out upon the extension of the track, as shown at 13, and is returned upon the upper track of the third compartment. The cars in the lower compartment are again advanced and a new car introduced into the first compartment as previously described. In order to transfer the cars from the track 13 to the upper compartment, I have shown a hinged or tiltable track as at 14, located above the track 13 and inclining downwardly at a suitable grade, and with its outer end normally resting upon the track 13. Then the car hasbeen pushed out of the compartments and is moved along the upper part of it will raise this track by contact therewith until the car has passed beyond the track which will then be lowered to its normal position and the car may then be run up the incline 14 to the level of the upper tracks 2 of the compartments. The tiltable track 14 may be suitably counterbalanced so as to be moved easily. The car being introduced. into the upper section of the third compartment, the gates 12 may be closed above this compartment if not already closed, and the dome or roof will be formed into which air will be discharged from the last of the discharge passages 7*, and this heated air will then be di verted downwardly through the ear in this compartment, thus completing the drying of the contents by the downwardly passing blast which strikes the top of the car and its contents. Another period of drying. in this compartment and the cars will be advanced, and so on until all the compartments have been passed through. The drying thus takes place in stages so that if there are three compartments, the first car introduced will be one-sixth dried in that coi'npart'ment; when it leaves the second compartment, it will be two-sixths dried and so on until it reaches the last section of the upper track when the drying will be completed and the car will be removed to the packing floor.

Any variation in the heat either above or below the cars may be effected by opening either of the passages above or below the cars, and the drying can thus be regulated with the greatest nicety.

Suitable discharge openings or doors 14 are made in the lower part along the sides of the compartments, so that if it is desired to first dry by the down draft upon. the top of the lower cars, the moisture-laden airresulting may be directly discharged from below, or the same action may be carried on to dry a portion of the contents of the cars on the upper floor by either up or down draft.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent 1. In a drying apparatus, a series of compartments having perforated traveling floors, an air-forcing mechanism and ducts disposed respectively above and below said floors, with upwardly and downwardly discharging passages, and concaved floor and domeshaped ceilings into which the heated air is discharged said concavities serving to distribute and return the heated air through the floors.

2. In a drying apparatus, a series of compartments having superposed perforated traveling floors, an air-heating and forcing mechanism, ducts leading therefrom respectively below and above the superposed floors, and having downwardly and upwardly discharging passages, concaved floors in the bottom of the compartments, and dome-shaped ceilings above the upper floors into which the heated air is respectively delivered, and by which it is distributed and returned through the floors and dampers by which the discharge of the air through said passages is controlled.

8. In a drying apparatus, a series of compartments having superposed tracks extending through the lower and. upper part thereof, cars adapted to 'move upon said tracks having the bodies formed with perforated bottoms adapted to receive the product to be dried, and forming drying floors movable from one compartment to another, air-heating and forcing mechanism and conveying ducts leading therefrom below and above the respective tracks and cars, said ducts having discharge passages with controlling and directing gates or dampers, concaved floors in the lower parts of the com partments, and conveXed or dome-shaped ceilings above the upper portions into which the air is directed from the discharge passages, and adjustable outlet gates disposed at the bottom and top of the drying compartments.

4. In a drying apparatus, a series of compartments having superposed tracks, an airforcing mechanism and ducts leading therefrom through the upper and lower parts of the compartments, with upwardly and downwardly opening valve-controlled discharge passages, ooncaved bottoms and dome-shaped ceilings to the compartments into which the air is discharged and from which it is returned upwardly and downwardly, cars movable upon the tracks through the compartments, said cars having perforated floors to receive the product to be dried and transferable successively from one compartment to another upon each level, and means by which the cars may be -transferred from one level to the other.

5. In a drying apparatus, a series of compartments having superposed tracks, means for delivering heated air above and below said tracks and controlling its delivery, a series of perforated floors mounted upon wheels and adapted to contain the product to be dried, said floors being movable through the compartments upon each level, meansfor transferring the floors from one level to the other, said means comprising a track extending outwardly from the lower level, a hinged tiltable track extending from the upper level and normally connecting with the lower track, said upper track being movable to allow cars to pass beneath it to transfer from one level to the other.

6. The combination in a drying apparatus of drying compartments in successive series, each of said compartments having superposed tracks, means for introducing a drying medium to said compartments, foraminous floors supported and movable from one compartment to another, and means for transferring the floors from one to the other of said tracks.

7. The combination in a drying apparatus of drying compartments in successive series upon the same plane, said compartments being provided with superposed tracks, means for distributing and controlling a heating medium within the compartments, foraminous floors mounted upon wheels and movable thereon from one compartment to another, and means for transferring the floors from one to the other of said tracks.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EMIL C. HORST. Witnesses:

HOMER 0. SMITH, D. BARNICKEL. 

